In trauma cases involving bone fracture, especially peri-articular and comminuted (multi-part) fractures, it is important for bone fragments to be closely reassembled for proper healing to occur. Conventionally, this is accomplished using metal wires, clamps, pins, plates, screws, and retractors. As the bone fragments are put back together, temporary fixation is achieved by drilling pilot holes in the bones and passing a metal wire through the pilot holes. The wires hold the bones in place while the surgeon reassembles the fractured bone elements.
Wire installation is not a trivial task. Some wires feature a trocar tip that is used to drill through the bone; in these cases no pilot hole is needed, however it is a laborious task to slowly drill and guide the wires through bone. When the fragments have been reassembled, the surgical field is littered with wires protruding from the bones. Permanent fixation for healing is achieved with the use of bone plates and screws; the metal plates are placed on the exterior of the bones and screws are inserted to hold the pieces together.
For the temporary fixation provided by the wires to be effective, they are typically located exactly where the plates and screws need to be located. As such, there is a significant amount of pre-planning required for precise wire placement that will not interfere with the permanent means of fixation. Usually wires must be bent, removed, and repositioned so that plates can be applied effectively. Removal of the wires requires the reattachment of the installation tool which requires that the wires be unbent and straightened. The process of bending, re-bending, and un-bending the wires is not only inconvenient, it is also a waste of precious operating room time. Many aspects of using wires as temporary fixation in conventional methods adds to the total time spent in the surgery, from arduous drilling and challenging placement to difficult removal.